The Federal Government has reiterated its commitment to strengthening food security and driving economic growth through strategic collaboration with non-governmental organisations and the private sector.
This assurance was given on Thursday in Calabar during the distribution of free seeds and fertiliser to farmers in Cross River State by the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari.
Represented at the event by the Director of Agribusiness and Market Development in the ministry, Mr Bassey Iwara, the minister said the current administration had demonstrated strong political will to reposition Nigeria’s agricultural sector.
According to him, the Federal Government under President Bola Tinubu is implementing economic reforms aimed at boosting productivity, creating employment opportunities and easing the cost-of-living pressures on citizens. He added that the government had also introduced emergency interventions and targeted humanitarian programmes to cushion the effects of the food crisis across the country.
Kyari explained that several initiatives had been rolled out by the ministry to tackle challenges confronting farmers and to ensure that food remains available, accessible and affordable nationwide.
“As part of these efforts, the ministry has adopted short-term support measures to make critical farm inputs more affordable and accessible to farmers through a transparent and accountable process,” he said.
He stressed that small-scale farmers remained a priority, noting that many were unable to afford essential inputs and basic farm equipment due to rising market costs.
Also speaking at the event, the Cross River State Coordinator of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Mr Ekori Nsan, said the programme reflected the government’s determination to support farmers at all levels.
He cautioned beneficiaries against misusing or selling the distributed items, warning that monitoring mechanisms had been put in place to ensure proper utilisation.
“The era of collecting farm inputs only to sell or abandon them is over. There will be follow-up, and any abuse of this support will not be tolerated,” Nsan said.
On behalf of the beneficiaries, Mr Asuquo Asuquo expressed appreciation to the Federal Government for the intervention, describing the support as timely and beneficial to farmers in the state.